F. Sherwood (Sherry) Rowland

chemist, Nobel laureateBorn: June 28, 1927Birthplace: Delaware, Ohio

Roland's early work was on the chemistry of radioactive atoms. Branching out, in 1973, he and Mario Molina began researching chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), then widely used in refrigerators, spray cans, and cleaning solvents. They discovered that the release of CFCs could destroy the ozone layer in the stratosphere, allowing more ultraviolet light to get through to Earth and potentially increasing the rate of skin cancer. Their efforts led to CFC production being banned in most countries, and they received the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.